The Tenors

First rehearsals got underway today for the second-annual “One Night for One Drop” Cirque du Soleil spectacular set for March 21 at Michael Jackson One Theater in Mandalay Bay. This year’s creator and director is Mukhtar Mukhtar from Cirque’s “The Beatles Love” at the Mirage.

This morning, he supervised the debut of the award-winning vocal super group The Tenors (formerly The Canadian Tenors), who will be featured alongside more than 100 Cirque artists from all eight Las Vegas productions for the philanthropic event.

Singers Clifton Murray, Victor Micallef, Remigio Pereira and Fraser Walters sang at last year’s “One Drop for One Drop” after-party at Bellagio, but this year they are front and center in the main show. (The Canadian quartet also has performed at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.)

Cliff told me: “This is a dream come true for us. We’ve gone from the party to now being on the main stage. We’ve wanted to work with Cirque for many years. We are a great fit. We are moved and honored to be a part of the show.

“We are in two of the four scenes, and today’s rehearsals sort of created what we’re going to wind up doing in the show. Hopefully we will sing ‘Forever Young’ in one act, and then our ‘Hallelujah’ with a full gospel choir for the finale.

“Today’s rehearsals were awesome and extraordinary with the intensity and positive mood all the Cirque performers brought to it. We’ve signed the necessary waivers, so we can join the acrobats. We’ve been shown the harnesses, so we plan to sail through the air like Pink. We’ll either pop up from holes in the ground or sing while flying.

“All of us have done stage performing, so we’re not shy about this. Our normal trademark suit and ties will vanish, and in place there will be street performers costumes for the magical city scene. We sure are bringing something fresh to what we do and what Cirque does. “

Their more than 500 performances on five continents include for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, with Celine Dion on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and the Emmy Awards. My interview with Mukhtar was posted Nov. 11; he says his approach to the show will be the message of “One Thought One World” as a metaphor of time and its effect on society before we exhaust the world’s water supplies.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Mandalay Bay Resort & CasinoMandalay Bay Resort & Casino is a unique destination resort set on 120 lush acres on the Las Vegas Strip. The resort offers three distinct hotel experiences: Mandalay Bay, a AAA Four Diamond award-winning hotel, with 3,211 luxurious rooms and suites reflecting a modern tropical ambiance; Four Seasons Hotel, a AAA Five Diamond hotel-within-a-hotel, offering 424 rooms and suites; and the stand-alone all-suite THEhotel which will be redesigned and rebranded Delano Las Vegas in late 2013.
Mandalay Bay boasts an 11-acre tropical pool paradise, featuring real sand, a wave pool and the only climate-controlled, poolside gaming in the city.
Other property highlights include world-class entertainment at the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center, award-winning dining by celebrity chefs and restaurateurs, Shark Reef Aquarium and the 1.7-million-square-foot Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Mandalay Bay’s offerings also include BATHHOUSE Spa, House of Blues Concert Hall and restaurant, and The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, a collection of unique boutiques and restaurants.
In 2013, Mandalay Bay will become home to a resident Cirque du Soleil production based on the music and choreography of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.